Love of Two Wastelands
by RavenMechanical
Summary: (Alt. Timeline after James' Death in F3) The Lone Wanderer has left the Capital after the death of the only family he has known. He pushes on West, until he gets to New Vegas, and meets a certain Courier girl. Love might be in the air, but can she help him deal with his past? A past that may be destined to catch up to him?
1. Farewell Father, Goodbye Capitol

Miles the Lone Wanderer walked up to the entrance to Vault 101, distraught, and fried. He had just lost his father, James. He saw him die in front of his own eyes. He went into the cave, with his loyal companion, Dogmeat, at his side. Miles ran a hand thorough his long, messy brown hair. Here he was. Back where it all began. Vault 101. Only he couldn't come back. He didn't even want to go back in. It had too many bad memories. He wished Amata had called for someone else. It hurt him that he had to leave like this, but he didn't want to stay in DC anymore. Miles got out two items from his backpack: His old BB Gun, and a pre-recorded holotape. The last message he would leave for his best friend, Amata. He then hit a button on the Vault door control panel, opening the vault door, alerting security in the process. Then he left, his heart heavy.

Amata rushed past the guards as soon as the security alert went off, followed closely by Butch. She needed to see if Miles was here. If he had returned. Please, Be here Miles! Amata prayed. I need you! Her heart grew in anticipation as she sneaked past the entrance past her father's barricade. She got to the vault door, out of breath. It was wide open. But no one was there. A lump formed in her throat. Butch ran up right behind her, and saw the scene. His snide remark for Miles vanished before he could say it. Amata called out Miles's name, stepping outside the vault despite silent protest from Butch. She looked down on the Vault's doorstep, and saw the BB Gun and Holotape. Amata picked up the BB Gun, then the holotape. She put it in her pip-boy. With that, it played Miles's last, painful message to her: "Amata, I'm sorry. But I… I just can't help you this time. Because I need to help myself right now. Amata..." Miles started to choke up into tears at this point. "Amata…. I'm leaving Washington DC, and I'm never coming back. I can't stay here anymore... Dad is dead, and this goddamn place… All of it, it just brings back too many bad memories…" Miles was on the verge of breaking down. "It hurts, Amata. It hurts so much… Forgive me..." With that, the holotape cut. Amata was already in tears. She ran back into the vault, and threw her arms around Butch, breaking down into endless sobs.

Butch, confused, asked her what was going on. Then, he saw the BB Gun, and understood. She had called Miles for help. But he left.

"Butch…" Amata sobbed. "What are we going to do?"

Butch looked out to the door, into the cave. His face was set with a determined scowl.

"We're going to find him, bring him back, and make things right. Let's meet with the rebels and get a plan going." Butch said. "I won't let it end like this..."

Miles walked west, further and further from the Capital. It was the only place he knew to go. He walked away, with Dogmeat, into the darkness. Far, and away from the place he was born.

Far and away from his pain. Far away from his past.

He took one last look over his shoulder from a hill near DC. One last look at what once was home. He then turned west, and walked. Shortly after, he broke out into a full run.

Sarah Lyons walked around the Citadel, troubled. She had a feeling something had happened since Doctor Madison Li had shown up with the boy named Miles. He left shortly afterwords. Like Madison, he said he needed some time to think of what to do next. He left and came back after a few hours, and said that he needed to stop at Vault 101 to take care of something. For some reason, she felt it was more than that. After several hours, she asked her father, Elder Lyons, to send out a search party to Micheal's home, Vault 101.

She saw the search party come through the doors of the Citadel, stepping in through the gate. The news they gave here would turn the factions of the Captial wasteland on their ear.

Miles had dissapeared.


	2. Enclave - The Journey West Begins

_Enclave HQ_

 _Three months later..._

Colonel Autumn was getting very agitated as he stood in the Enclave's command center. His patience was already thin at the moment, as they still could not start the purifier. Apparently, there was a fail-safe they could not bypass without the proper code. To add to his headache, they were having trouble locating the one who might have the code: A young man named Miles, who had somehow gone completely off their grid!

A lieutenant approached his desk cautiously. "Sir, I have the report you asked for."

Autumn snatched the report aggressively from the lieutenant with a quick flick of his arm. He started reading through it.

The news was not what he wanted to hear. According to this, one of their patrols had intercepted a message to the Brotherhood of Steel from a local Vault. Vault 101. It said that according to one of the residents, a girl named Amata, Miles had fled the capital!

Autumn immediately slammed the report down onto his desk, red in the face. "WELL? WHAT ARE Y'ALL JUST SANDING THERE FOR?!" He yelled to his subordinates. "FIND OUT WHERE THAT BOY WENT BEFORE THE TRAIL GOES COLD!"

 _Meanwhile, at the Citadel…_

Amata stood with Butch in the war room of the Pentagon, or as it was now known, the Citadel. She was telling Elder Lyons everything she knew about Miles.

"He was always such a kind and helpful person..." Amata said, in tears. "I just can't believe it… Can't believe that he would just give up on everything like this and run away..."

"It's hard for us all, Miss Amata." Elder Lyons was doing his best to comfort the young Vault Dweller they had liberated, one of many from the tyrannical rule of her father, with her help since she had opened the door. "I wish I had the answer as well. But we must make haste and find him, before all is lost for the capital."

"Can't we just track the little punk's pip-boy or somthin'?" Butch asked. "I mean, the longer we stand around here talkin' 'bout it, the harder it's gonna be on all of us, right?"

"That is a good idea." Sarah Lyons agreed. "If we could get Three-dog to let us use the dish receiver Miles installed on the Washington Monument, we could track him down even if he's left the capital. All we need is his pip-boy signature."

"I'm positive we have that." Stanley said. "I programmed it, after all. We'd better hurry though. He already has enough of a head start..."

Somewhere far southwest of DC…

Miles snapped awake. The nightmares he had been having were starting to seem all too real. If this didn't stop, he felt he would go insane.

He had the dream again. Father and Mother, telling him he that the purifier would never be started, that it was all on him. That he was the only one to blame.

Dogmeat licked his face, whining. He was clearly wanting to make sure his master was all right.

"Calm down, boy. Don't worry about me." Miles said calmly.

He sat up, getting out of the abandoned makeshift fifth-wheel trailer that he had spent the night in. According to his Pip-boy, it was six in the morning. The sun was starting to rise over the arid landscape. According to the maps he had acquired, he was far from DC. Somewhere near the peninsula called Florida. He was near an old trading post called Tally Halsey. It was known as Tallahassee before the war. It was time to get moving. He got up, stretching out. His Armored Vault suit was now even more extensively plated, though it had seen better days. It was time to get moving again. He wouldn't stop until he at least had crossed the continental divide. He wanted to be as far away from DC as possible. He now had a bad feeling he was being followed, and not just by the Brotherhood of Steel. The remnants of the old US Government, the Enclave, were no doubt trying to catch up to him. He slung his Assault rifle over his shoulder and signaled Dogmeat to follow him. They continued to travel west towards the Divide.


	3. Dance With Death - The Deadly Divide

_Four Years Later…_

 _The Divide..._

Miles walked over a hill to see a large canyon that went on for miles, with the remains of a town around it. It looked like the area had been hit by some sort of earthquake. It appeared the ground had exploded, then collapsed in on itself. With the town in the center of the affected area. On a road sign that said "Welcome to Hopeville" was painted words. They read as "the Divide."

Miles whistled. "I didn't know it was literal..." He muttered. Though, compared to recent events, this seemed like a joke. After passing along through the gulf coast after leaving Tally Halsey, he had many close calls with tribes, some being cannibals, raiders, Enclave agents, Outcasts and Remnants of the Brotherhood of Steel, and other hostiles. Not to mention the environment itself, and not just irradiated patches of land or water. Some of the creatures he had seen so far seemed like they sometimes hunted their own. Though this didn't mean he and his pet dog weren't on the menu. However, he had to change his straight-line course west to add many curves in so he could lose the Enclave and Brotherhood agents.

"Come on, boy." He signaled Dogmeat to follow him. He started to walk towards the imploded canyon. Towards what would be a dance with death itself. A dance that would set in motion events that would go beyond his control, and lead him to love, and possibly salvation.

 _Menawhile, near the Hopeville Missile Silo…_

Clover the courier ran a few fingers through her long, rosewood red hair, standing on the edge of the cliff near the Missile silo alongside Ulysses. Right now she was trying to convince Ulysses to come with her back to new Vegas. It had been a few months since their last meeting in the Divide, though she still felt horrible. She wanted Ulysses to have a better life in New Vegas.

"I understand I've caused you a lot of pain, though I didn't really mean to..." Clover began to say.

"I've already forgiven you and moved on, Courier." Ulysses said.

"I know..." Clover replied. "I just don't see why you have to stay here. I wish you could come back to New Vegas. I know it wouldn't be like Hopeville was, but it would be a safe and warm home for you."

"Safety is just an illusion in my mind." Ulysses said.

Then there was gunfire in the gorge. Rocket, missile, and Fatman explosions could be seen from the missile silo cliff. Screams were heard for kilometers around.

"What the hell is that?!" Clover exclaimed, readying her 5.56 millimeter bozar.

Ulysses got up, loading a fresh clip into his 12.7 millimeter sub-machine gun.

"Trouble." He replied.

With that, they ran into the missile silo, heading for the tunnels to Hopeville.

Miles loaded a final payload into the Fatman launcher behind cover. He told Dogmeat to run, and thankfully he did. The men he was fighting seemed more insane than a feral ghoul! He was pinned behind some rubble at the end of a collapsed overpass by these skin-flayed brutes! To add to the complications, he had been shot! He had taken a hit in the arm, and it was screaming at him in protest with shooting pain as he readied the Fatman with it's final payload.

He got up, aimed the Fatman along an arc, and fired. The bomb hit it's expected target, exploding. He then cast the launcher aside, as he had no more mini-bombs for it. Without those, the Fatman was useless. Miles then got out his assault rifle, peeking over the debris that shielded him. There were still a good number of skin-flayed men after him. He had no choice. He loaded a fresh clip in his assault rifle, turning off the safety. He ran out of cover shooting at his hostiles, his aim steady. A few more were hit, falling down into the dirt lifeless.

Miles started carving a path through the insane men, running through the gap he was making. It seemed he would soon be home free.

It didn't turn out as he had expected. He felt a screaming pain in his knee, and he tripped on his own feet. He looked down at his leg, and saw blood. He had taken a hit there, and could no longer walk! He looked up as the men started to surround him! He closed his eyes tightly. Dammit, he thought. Why like this? Why, of all ways, did it have to end like this?!  
He then heard more gunfire. He didn't feel the pain of getting hit, though. What was going on?! He opened his eyes, and saw the men falling around him. A woman and man, both wearing overcoats and well-armed, walked up to him.

"...He's not from around here." The man said. "Looks like he was passing through. Maybe to Vegas."

"Well, if we don't do something, he's not going to make it." The woman replied, kneeling down and talking off her backpack. "Ulysses, I'm going to need you to apply pressure..."

Miles then started to lose consciousness. A few seconds later, he blacked out.


	4. Welcome to New Vegas

_Some Time Later…_

Miles woke up to Dogmeat licking his face.

"Get off!" Miles growled, half-laughing as he gently pushed Dogmeat away and sat up. First, his mind was a blur. There was the skin-flayed men that were attacking him. Then he was shot. Then, there was that man and woman…

He remembered. They saved his life. He looked around. He was in a wooden structure of some sort. An old fort.

"Glad to see you are awake." A voice said.

Miles looked to his left to see the woman again. She was his age, if not very close to it. She had a Caucasian skin tone. It was a bit lighter than average, as if she wore that duster all the time, not allowing the sun's rays on her. Her eyes were sky blue in color, her hair rosewood-red. She was wearing it in the "prim and proper" fashion. She had an old cowboy hat in her hands, wearing a duster with what looked like old power armor plating underneath. Across from her was the man she was with. He also wore a duster, which was much less armored, some survival gear attached to it on bandoleers and belts. His skin was much darker, the tone of an African-american, his hair in twisted braids.

"...You saved me." He said.

"The Marked Men would have brutalized you if we didn't." The Man with braids said. "You did not deserve such a fate."

Miles sighed. "Thank you. I owe you a debt I may never be able to repay. I didn't get your names, and where am I?"

The woman smiled. "My name is Clover. I am an assistant to Robert Edwin House. This is Ulysses, a friend of mine. Welcome to New Vegas."

 _Author's note: My computer has been damaged recently, and I'm not sure how I will continue to work on this. I will let you know when it is fixed, and I plan to repair it asap. Please stand by..._


	5. Lucky 38

Miles and Dogmeat walked with Clover and Ulysses out of the Old Mormon fort towards the New Vegas Strip, which was still occupied by the Followers of the Apocalypse. That was mostly thanks to her explaining to Mr. House how they could be an asset to Vegas. Clover had told Mr. House about what had happened. Mr. House said after he got better, he wanted to speak to Miles.

"Why do you think he wants to see me?" Miles asked.

"Don't really know," Clover said with a warm smile. "My guess is that he wants to offer you a job. He is planning to open his casino, the Lucky 38 to the public soon, and has already started to hire staff for positions there."

"I'm not much of a gambler, I'm afraid..." Miles started to say.

"You don't need to be," Clover said cheerfully. "Not everyone in the casinos here runs gambling tables. The Lucky 38 has many other positions that they need to fill: Waiters, Bartenders, Masseuse Therapists, Chefs, Security, and many other positions are available. I'm sure he can find something for you if you plan to stay and make your home here."

Staying… That sounded almost too good to be true, but Miles still held out hope. There was enough room here to blend in with the populous, which would make it difficult for the Enclave to find him here. As they walked through the New Vegas Strip gates, and up to the Lucky 38's steps, Miles was in awe of how they had rebuilt the strip! The bright lights and jazzy music were a sight to behold indeed!

They walked up to the Lucky 38's doors, it's roulette-spinner like spire standing out from all the other buildings on the strip. A Securitron stood on the doorstep. It had an image of a cowboy face on its screen.

"Well, Howdy Partner! Welcome back!" The Securitron spoke.

"Thank you, Victor," Clover said. "This is Miles, the young man I told Mr. House about. That dog is his companion, Dogmeat." She motioned to Miles. "He's here to see him, as Mr. House requested."

"Uh… Hi." Miles said, feeling out of place. Dogmeat sat, panting happily.

"Well, don't be shy, come on in!" Victor said. "The boss will be pleased as peaches to meet you! Follow me!"

The double doors behind Victor opened up. Miles, with Dogmeat behind him, followed Clover and Ulysses into the Lucky 38. Inside, people were cleaning and conditioning the casino for it's grand reopening under the watch of other Securitrons and staff. The went to the center of the casino to the elevator. The stepped inside, and Victor hit a button on the door. The elevator began to ascend.

"I feel like I left my stomach on the ground floor..." Miles spoke. "...I apologize, I've never ridden an elevator this high before."

"You get used to it after a while. Don't worry." Clover said.

The elevator stopped at the Penthouse Suite, the highest level in the casino besides the Cocktail Lounge. They stepped out of the elevator, Miles following Clover and Victor into a room with a rather large computer screen, surrounded by many smaller ones. On the large screen was the face of a man. He had a business-style mustache, with a small grin on his face.

"Welcome back, Clover." A voice said through the speakers.

"Thank you, Mr. House," Clover replied with a curtsy with her coat. "How have things been while I was away?"

"Very progressive." Mr. House replied. "With the help of the Followers, we've developed a successful Deathclaw and Tunneler repellent, and we've managed to get the new holo-projector system in the Lucky 38 running. Allow me to demonstrate..."

The screen then shut off, and a holographic projection of Mr. House then formed in front of them. He wore a professional old-world bushiness suit, standing like an office executive.

"How do I look, dear?" Mr. House asked, smiling.

"Very civil, and professional sir," Clover answered.

"Thank you. Now, I assume that this young man in the Vault suit is Miles?" Mr. House asked, motioning with his holographic hand towards Miles.

"Yes, this is him," Clover said.

Mr. House walked up to Miles, looking him over. He noticed the 101 on the back of Miles's suit. "Vault 101… Isn't that in DC? You've come a long way..."

"Er… yes, Mr. House, I have. I left DC in search of a better life. Clover and her friend, Ulysses saved my life at the Divide." Miles replied.

"Yes, she told me about that." Mr. House said. "I'm impressed that you've come this far west and survived all this time. It's more of a feat than you know, especially these days. If you are interested in staying here and calling New Vegas 'home' I'd be glad to offer you a job and a place to stay. Tell me a bit about yourself..."


	6. New Start

Chapter 6

NEW START

Miles sat down with Mr. House at a desk and started to tell Mr. House the basics of himself and his life. He was fairly cryptic about James and Project Purity, saying it had been raided by 'old world nuts' wanting to bring back old times. Mr. House gave him a look that was a mix of uncertainty and curiosity mixed together. But he seemed to buy his story to a degree.

"I see…" Mr. House replied. "Now, with all due respect, do you have any special skills that you would like to share besides aiming and firing an assault rifle?"

"Well, I do have some experience with cooking food..." Miles replied. "I started working in the Vault's diner as a fry cook. Since I left, I've cooked up some good recipes with mirelurk meat, yao gui meat, mole rat meat… I've also made some other edibles using other ingredients found in the wasteland. Though I admit, I could learn more..."

"Sounds like you would make a good Sous Chef." Mr. House said after a pause. "Do you know how to use kitchen cooking utensils properly?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Miles said. "I learned most of it from my fry cook years."

Mr. House looked at Miles, smiling. "Consider yourself hired. I'll have Jane and Victor set up living quarters for you. Welcome to the Lucky 38, Miles."

Clover smiled as she and Miles walked out of Mr. House's office with Victor and Jane.  
"Congratulations, Miles!" Clover said. "I'm sure you're going to love it here!"

"Yes, I think I will..." Miles replied, thinking about his future. He now had a new home, and a job to boot! Plus, he was so far away from DC, it was doubtful the Enclave would ever catch up!

"Well, me n' Jane better show him and his canine friend where they'll be staying." Victor said. He turned to Miles. "Again, welcome to the team Partner!"

"We're glad to have you, sugar!" Jane chimed in.


	7. Clover's Reunion

_Adams Air Force Base_

 _Four Months Later..._

Colonel Autumn's patience had worn dangerously thin over the past few days. At the moment, he was overseeing the preparation of an old air cruiser, the _Scion_ , for it's maiden voyage. It was the only ship they had available to use besides the _Prydwen_ , not to mention it was faster as well since it was half the size of the latter. They were going to use this air cruiser to locate Miles, or as the locals now called him, "The Lone Wanderer." Enclave techies had recently managed to get the base's computers linked with what was left of the old United State's GPS Network of satellites that were focused on North America. Now they were tracking all Pip Boy signatures across the United States region. The Enclave had also come across Miles' abandoned Vault, 101. They downloaded the pip-boy signatures from the database, and were using the GPS system to narrow down Miles' location. It was taking some time, as the computers said it would be complete in one week. Then, they could track Miles down no matter where he went in the hemisphere.

"Colonel, is all of this really necessary?" President Eden asked through one of his eyebots.

"Sir, with all due respect, do you want that purifier running or not?" Autumn growled.

"Point taken, Colonel. No need to get testy." Eden replied. "It's just that with this plan of yours, half of the Enclave's resources will be out on the _Scion_ looking for Miles, which will leave us in a rather venerable position."

"I am aware of that, and think it will be worth the risk, sir." Colonel Autumn said. "Just give me some room, and the Enclave will rule the Capital Wasteland once more."

Eden, still not entirely convinced, started running some calculations through his systems. What he got didn't help things: From the ZAX Supercomputer's calculations, the situation turning against them was 50/50. A crap shoot, with fortune being the deciding factor.

Eden didn't like this foreseen outcome, but had no other choice than to let the Colonel go through with his plan. After all, it was their only chance at the Purifier.

 _Meanwhile, In New Vegas…_

 _Lucky 38 – Restaurant_

Miles rang the bell on the counter for the waiter to come pick up and serve the Gecko Steak Burger to the customer. That was his last order for the day, as he looked at the clock. It was time to let the other Managing Chef take over. He went to the clock, punched out, and handed the kitchen duties over to the next Chef as he walked in right on time. Miles had the next few hours of the night to himself. Clover had been on his mind a lot lately, and not just because of her saving him. Being around her was starting to become intoxicating, like a glass of good scotch. Her looks, her attitude, the way she helped Mr. House run things… It was all admirable, honorable, impressive…

And very flirtatious.

Finally, after changing out of his chef's outfit and back into his vault suit, he decided he would go to her. Of course, he would have to take things slow at first, but had no idea where to start… What could he do? He wondered as he got into the elevator and went to the casino floor. He had a good amount of caps now, but he had little experience with dating, as he had never had a chance to go through dating in the vault! Hence, he no real world experience. Miles wanted to do this right, but was afraid to ask for help. What to do? He wondered as he walked towards the casino's doors. What to do…?

"Oh, Miles~!"

Miles turned around to see Clover, walking up to him. She had changed from her management dress back to her overcoat outfit. She had her Eyebot, ED-E with her.

"Hey Clover!" Miles greeted cheerfully. "Is there something you need?"

Clover just beamed. "Miles, your off your shift. Relax, I just wanted to see if you would be interested in meeting some friends of mine. Today is a special day for me. It's my birthday, and the day I first got to the New Vegas region. After that, I founded my old gang and met Mr. House."

"Gang?" Miles asked, a little confused.

"Oh, don't worry! It's not like I was in the Great Khans!" Clover said, reading Miles' reaction like a book. "They're just some old friends that I helped with some things, and they helped me on the way getting here. We're going to meet up in Goodsprings, where my journey to New Vegas started. We'll take the start of the long 15 there, then we'll walk back to Vegas, take Highway 95 back up. Should only take a couple hours. We'll have plenty of ammo too, and Victor will be coming along with us. Want to go?"

Miles got his bearings quickly. "Sure!" He blurted. "That would be wonderful! It's been a while since I've been out and about."

Clover laughed. "Let's get going, then!"

With that, the walked through the door and out to the strip.

 _Goodsprings – Prospector Saloon_

 _Midnight_

Arcade Ganon, Sharon "Rose" Cassidy, Raul Tejada, the two super mutants Grandma Lilly and Marcus, Craig Boone, and Veronica waited inside the saloon for Clover's arrival. The saloon had been prepared with party decorations, and had been stocked with plenty of food and drink for the celebration. It was also Clover's Birthday, and the Saloon was going to surprise her! The lights were out inside, and everyone was ready with homemade party favors and confetti. Trudy, the owner of the saloon, had her own opinions about Mr. House running things, but was still grateful he and Clover had driven the Legion out of New Vegas.

The patrons heard the door to the saloon open, and in walked Clover. Veronica saw she was with Victor the Securitron, and a man in a vault suit.

"That's strange..." Clover said. "Hello? Arcade? Veronica?"

The lights were flipped on in an instant, and Clover was immediately showered with Confetti as her old gang and the patrons, along with Trudy cried out, "Surprise! Happy Birthday, Clover!" and Cheered.

"Oh, my lordy!" Clover laughed cheerfully, realizing what was going on. "Oh, you didn't have to go to this much trouble!"

"Oh, Nonesense boss!" Raul said. "After all you went through to save New Vegas from the Legion, you deserve a good little surprise!"

"Here!" Veronica brought forward a small wasteland-styled birthday cake with a few candles on it. "The Brotherhood may be backwards in some ways, but we still know how to celebrate. Elder McNamara and me provided the recipe from our archive. Lilly helped us make it with some tips and tricks she knew. We madeas a thank you for negotiating treaty terms between the Brotherhood, Jacobstown, and Mr. House!"

"Oh my goodness! This is so thoughtful, thank you!" Clover beamed with happiness.

"Oh, don't worry dearie." Lilly said smiling. "Today's your special day, and it would just be unheard of to celebrate it without a proper cake."

"So, who's this?" Boone asked, motioning to Miles.

"Oh! Where are my manners?" Clover said. "Everyone, this is Miles. He's the guy I told you about in my holotapes to each of you. The guy I saved in the divide. He's now a head chef in the Lucky 38! I wanted to introduce him to all of you!"

"So this is Mr. Far-east? The DC Traveler?" Cass said. "You've been quite the big deal in our circle the past few months. My name is Sharon Cassidy, but you can call me 'Cass.' We all communicate through holotape via the Mojave Express these days. Anyway, it's nice to meet you kid." She shook Miles' hand.

"Hola, Amigo!" Raul tipped his sombrero. "I'm Raul Alfonso Tejada."

"Craig Boone, former NCR First Recon sharpshooter. Good to meet you, kid." Boone tipped his Beret in respect.

"It's good to meet you, sonny. I'm Grandma Lilly."

"I'm Marcus. I lead Jacobstown, a community of peaceful super mutants up in the mountains."

"I'm Arcade Ganon. I'm a school teacher with the Followers of the Apocalypse."

"Veronica of the Brotherhood of steel. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, to all of you." Miles said.

With that, they proceeded to celebrate Clover's Birthday. Cass had brought a few bottles of her stash of Jim Danny's brand Whiskey, and Trudy with some help from Sunny Smiles had prepared a good meal platter for everyone. They turned on the radio to the New Vegas station, and started to celebrate not only Clover's birthday, but her journey.


	8. Lovebirds

_Author's note: This chapter has been re-written as of 6/17/2017._

 _Lucky 38 – New Vegas Strip_

 _Two Months Later…_

Miles finished his rounds in the Lucky 38's kitchen. Today had turned into a good day for business. He had cooked up a lot of good meals for his customers today, and felt a sense of accomplishment. He went to the dressing room, and changed out of his work attire back into some casual clothing.

He walked out into the casino area and saw some unusual looking men at the bar that gave him the creeps. To him, it looked like they were surveying the place.

Miles decided to let it slide. He went over to Clover, who was taking to Cass and Boone at the Resturant's bar. During the past two months since Clover's birthday celebration, Clover had learned that Boone wanted to get into a relationship with Cass, but was unsure of himself, since what happened with his last wife, Carla. He was still haunted that she was sold to the Legion, and it still haunted him what he was forced to do. ass, however, had suspected Boone was after a relationship and was still interested, though she was clearly trying to be cautious as of how to approach this problem. After all, Boone had shared to the group about what had happened with Carla and had went to both Clover and Miles, wondering just how she should tackle this relationship and it's possible difficulties.

Somehow, by some miracle or sheer dumb luck, Clover and Miles managed to get the two together and work through their problems. Now, they had started dating, and Boone had decided to start accompany Cass and her newly-formed caravan business as part of a security detail. Mr. House had helped Cass start up a special caravan that mainly revolved around New Vegas, but was beneficial to other towns and cities as well.

As Miles walked up, he saw Cass and Boone talking with Clover in casual conversation.

"So, how's Joshua?" Cass asked Clover.

"He's been doing better." Clover answered. "He's a lot calmer these days, since I visited him in Zion. Good thing, too. The poor man went through a lot, since… you know. But he's doing better, helping manage and mediate between the Dead Horse and Sorrows tribes."

"I'm glad he's turned over a new leaf since his time in the Legion. Never met the guy myself, though." Boone said.

The three then noticed Miles as he walked up.

"Well, look here!" Cass smiled. "Vault Cook, and matchmaker!" She grinned. "Come on, have a seat. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, thanks." Miles scratched the back of his head. "How's the caravan been?"

"It's been good." Cass said. "Boone's security detail has helped tremendously. You should have seen him and his men take out those vipers that tried to raid us the other day. Got 'em right between the eyes."

"Oh, come on Cass. You aren't giving yourself enough credit." Boone smiled. "After all, you joined in with a few crack shots of your own."

"Yeah, well you know the story behind that." Cass said. "My dad was a crack shot himself. So I don't want to tarnish the family name. It's out of respect, not pride."

"If I may ask, just how good of your shot was your dad?" Miles asked.

Cass laughed. "Let's put it this way: If you were standing from the Vegas wall, he'd be able to hit a Cactus fruit off your head from about fifty yards away. Without shaving any hairs."

Miles's eyes widened. He could clearly see where Cass got her shooting skills from.

"That's mighty impressive!" Clover added in. "Wish we could've seen him in his day…"

"Yeah." Boone agreed.

The group then spent a few hours having some drinks and chewing the fat in conversation. Unknown to Miles, they were being watched very closely by those men he saw earlier. One of them walked off towards the restroom, and got out a small radio.

"Fowler to Scion, we believe we have located the target." The agent whispered. "Young male in his twenties with brown hair, blue eyes, Caucasian. Goes by the name of Miles? Over."

"Agent Folwer, standby…" The Scion radio operator said. "...Confirmed. Colonel Autumn says that's him. Orders are to detain the target without causing alarm. Covert tactics are an absolute requirement. Do no draw any suspicion or unwanted attention to yourselves, repeat: Do not draw any unwanted attention. The Colonel can't stress this enough."

"Roger. Over and out." Folwer shut off the raido. All the others on the frequency would have heard. They were using a non-standard frequency so they wouldn't draw attention from the wrong people on the radio band. It was time to put their plan into action. They continued to observe Miles, waiting for the right time to move in.

# # # # #

Miles walked with Clover out onto the Strip to say goodbye to Cass and Boone, as they left for the Tops Casino for the rest of their date.

"So, are you doing anything later, Clover?" Miles asked.

"Other than helpin' Mr. House with the book, Nope." Clover said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, how can I put this…" Miles tried to ignore the rising temperature in his face telling him he was blushing. "I know you've been given many luxuries by Mr. House, but those robot chefs kinda make their meals a little bland. So do you mind if I cook you dinner tonight?"

"Oh, Miles! Are you asking me out on a date?" Clover said with a grin.

"Well, Yeah." Miles replied.

"It's a date then." Cover beamed. "See you in the high-roller suite at ten o'clock." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and walked back into the Lucky 38.

Miles was dumbstruck for a moment. Then he let out a yell of glee, and ran towards Freeside to look for the ingredients for the date's meal at the local stores.


	9. Blue Moon

_Author's note: To those who have read Chapter 8 prior to 6/17/2017, it has been redone. Re-read to catch up please._

 _Lucky 38 – High Roller Suite_

 _10:00 PM_

Miles exited the elevator, a bag of groceries in his hands. He had everything in mind for what he was going to prepare: Bighorner Steak with Gecko Kababs and Desert Salad. With some Home-brewed Nuka-Cola Wine Chasers.

Clover was waiting, with a smile on her face as Miles exited the elevator.

"So what's on the menu, tonight, Miles?" Clover asked.

"Bighorner steak with Gecko Kababs and Desert Salad. With some Nuka-Cola wine chasers. That sound good?" Miles asked.

"De-lish." Clover replied. They both prepared the table in the dining room, complete with tablecloth and candles.

With that, Miles went into the kitchen, and started to happily prepare the meal. He cooked the Bighorner steak and Brahmin steak for the salad with a watchful eye, making sure it was tender, yet well-cooked. Once the Steaks were cooked, he chopped up the Brahimin steak for the desert salad, along with the Barrel Cactus fruits, cracking open the Pinyon nuts to bring out the flavor of the salad. Then he got out the drink mixer, shaking together the Nuka-Cola wine chasers.

Clover was taken away when Miles brought in the meal. She had never seen anything done so well or so extravagantly! Miles had learned a lot since his first day in the kitchen.

With that, they sat down and ate. Clover complemented Miles on the meal, saying it was the best food she had ever had. They ate and discussed things that were going on in their lives. Clover told Miles about the Big Empty, and all of the strange technologies she had found there, under the clause that Miles wouldn't tell Veronica or anyone in the Brotherhood of Steel. Miles reassured her that her secret was safe with him.

After they had finished eating, Miles turned on the radio to the New Vegas channel. It was playing Dean Domino's "Blue Moon." That gave Miles an idea. He walked up to Clover, held out his hand, and asked "May I have this dance?"

Clover took his hand, and they started dancing in the room. The took the elevator up to Mr. House's penthouse. Mr. House caught on to what was going on, and started to play the tune throughout the floor.

With that, Clover and Miles proceeded to dance the night away.

And what a night it was...


	10. 101: The Lone Wanderer

_Jacobstown…_

 _The Next Day…_

Miles and Clover were in Jacobstown, seeing how the Nightkin Schizophrenia cure was coming along. They approached the lodge, Miles gazing at the snow-covered peak.

"I've never seen snow before..." Miles mused.

"Oh, trust me hon, this 'ain't nothing like the winters they get in Zion." Clover said. She and Miles then noticed that there were some new super mutants in town. They looked like recent arrivals. One of them, who she saw entering the lodge, had the remains of a vault suit on him as clothing. The upper portion was in tatters, but the lower portion was in tact. From what she could make out, the numbers on the back looked like they read "87."

"Ah, good to see you, Clover." Marcus said, walking up.

"Likewise, Marcus." Clover replied. "Looks like you've got some new arrivals."

"Yeah." Marcus said. "They've come a long way. Their leader, Fawkes, claims they came all the way from the Capital Wasteland, DC. They want to settle here, become part of the community."  
Miles froze. He had a rush of bad nostalgia come back to him, memories of days gone by. All those steps he took through DC's wasteland, all the memories from Vault 101…

All the memories of Dad…

"Miles?" Clover asked. "Is something wrong?"

"...It's okay. Just a bad flashback, don't worry about me." Miles said, shaking it off.

"Are you sure?" Clover tilted her head, concerned. "If you want to wait inside the lodge, you can."

"...All right." Miles said. "I'll wait for you inside the lodge."

"Just remember: Don't stare at the Nightkin." Marcus politely reminded.

"Don't worry. I'll look the other way if I see any." Miles said.

# # # # # #

Fawkes took off his pack, sitting down on one of the old couches in the lodge near the fireplace as a fire roared in the hearth, getting out one of the newly discovered pre-war books he managed to scavenge on his journey to Jacobstown. He was careful not to disturb the GECK in his pack, and started to read. Reading helped keep his mind sharp, and was a good way to kill some time anyway. He wondered if any of the other Super Mutants in town would be interested in learning anything? Maybe he could teach here in one of the bungalows. After all, he did teach his Super Mutant Tribe from Vault 87 after overthrowing and killing the last leader there. Part of him still regretted it having it come down to that, but he kept reminding himself that Grundy, as he called himself, deserved it.

Fawkes then heard the door to the lodge open. A lone human walked in. He was the one with the lady known as "The Courier." He had heard the one called Keene and a lot of good things from Grandma Lily Bowen about this Courier lady. Clover was her name. She was from the nearby city of New Vegas. Worked for the Proprietor of the Strip, Mr. House. Not much was known about this other human though. The man at least had a name though. Miles. What was more interesting, though, was that some of the local mutants he had talked to said Miles was from DC, just like he was. Also, his appearance was strikingly similar to this "Lone wanderer" The single individual who had tried to change so much in the capital for the better; helping people when they needed it, and doing so many random acts of kindness. He had heard that radio host on GNR, Three-Dog, talk about so much. The DC Brotherhood of Steel was looking for him. So was the Enclave. Could this man be the Lone Wanderer that dissipeared from DC nearly a decade ago?

Fawkes put away his book in his pack as Miles walked over and sat on one of the chairs.

"Vault 101… You've come a long way, human." Fawkes said.

Fawkes saw the human look at him, an expression of surprise on his face. "You… know about Vault 101?"

Fawkes paused for a moment, wondering how he should approach this. If this really was the Lone Wanderer, Fawkes knew he would need to be careful with his explanation of what happened.

"Yes… I hear it has changed much since the Lone Wanderer left DC. I heard from my journeys before I led my tribe here that there is a heart to that place now. A… warmth, where there used to be nothing but cold."

Miles' face formed a sad frown, his eyes going up to the ceiling. "Not surprised there."

"Tell me human… What is your name? How did you find your way here?" Fawkes asked.

"That's… Kind of a personal question to be asking right off the bat, don't you think?" Miles said politely, trying to dodge the question.

"I don't see any particular harm in it." Fawkes replied. "We're simply having a conversation. Perhaps if you tell me a bit about yourself, I could tell you about myself in return..."

Miles sighed. Fawkes could tell he was getting a little moody with the subject. "Well… Alright, I guess. My name is Miles, and I'm from DC. I grew up in Vault 101, where it was a kind of a mix between dystopia and utopia, but I guess nothing is supposed to be perfect in this world, unless you grew up on the New Vegas strip. I had a fairly decent life down there, until my dad, James left me and the Vault behind, which caused much chaos, and me to go after him. He never said goodbye, and I never got over it… Eventually, after talking to a lot of people, and doing a favor for GNR, I found him in another Vault ran by an insane Vault-Tec scientist, Dr. Brawn. I freed dear old dad from that Vault, and he told me the truth of my birth. That we were not born in the Vault like I was led to believe. Though I knew that already from a bartender named Moriarty who ran a saloon in Megaton. Eventually, dad told why he left. It was for a dream project of my mother's. She was a scientist at Rivet City with dad and her best friend, Madison Li. A project that never got the see the light of day. He found out what they had been missing. So I decided to see if I could help him get it running. Then he had to die on me." Miles finished in a bitter tone. "What was my Mom's dream, you ask? Fresh, clean water for everyone. It was based on her favorite bible passage, what was it… Revelation, 21:6?"

" 'Revelation 21:6. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the Water of Life freely.' " Fawkes recited the passage from memory. Of all the books he had with him, one of them was an old-world Holy Bible that he dove into a lot. "I think I can see why your mother would love such a passage out of the Bible. If I'm not mistaken, you must be the Lone Wanderer so many have spoken of. He would often recite that passage.".

He saw Miles look at him, his expression a mix of surprise and horror on his face. "You… You must have me confused with someone else." Miles blabbered out, trying to explain the circumstance away.

Fawkes sighed. "Maybe. Maybe not. All I know is that we all lose faith some times, but then we always find a way to gain it back."

Fawkes saw Miles look at him with scorn. Eventually, it faded away somewhat as Miles turned to look at the fire.

"Perhaps that's true..." Miles spoke. "Perhaps. I, myself, find it hard to believe though."

"You've lost much dear to you. I understand." Fawkes said, empathizing. "But it isn't the end of the world. Otherwise, the bombs would have destroyed the vaults too, when they dropped. Take the time you need to if you need to grieve for your father. Just don't give up. You've come too far to quit now… The Wanderer will rise again, and you and the Courier will always have Vegas in your hearts."

Fawkes then got up and went into another room, leaving Miles with these thoughts.


	11. Spies from Washington

_Several hours later..._

Miles walked down the road back to New Vegas from Jacobstown with Clover. He was feeling guilty now since Fawkes brought up the Capital Wasteland. It brought back a lot of good memories, but also a lot of bad ones.

He didn't notice this at first, but he was starting to trail behind Clover a few paces. Perhaps if he was paying more attention, he would have realized he was being followed by an Enclave agent that had tailed them up here. Out of sight, and out of mind.

The agent saw his chance, and took it. He sneaked behind Miles, then grabbed him by the arm, jutting a 10mm pistol against his back!

"Make a sound, and I shoot." He warned, guiding him off the road. They started to take a small path away from the main road.

"Where are you taking me...?" Miles asked, a tinge of fear in his voice.

"To meet up with Colonel Autumn." The agent said. "You have something that he wants."

Miles' blood ran cold at the mention of Colonel Autumn. He found him?! Out here?! He immediately grabbed the agent by the arm, twisting it around to his back, making him drop the gun. The agent responded by spinning his whole body around, a leg extended as he trippe Miles

"CLOVER!" Miles shouted, drawing his 9mm pistol, firing at the agent. Amazingly, he was still standing! He must have had some sort of body armour underenath his clothing!

Clover immediately heard the ruckus. She turned around, and saw what was going on! She drew her hunting revolver out of it's holster, and fired a shot at the hostile agent, shooting his 10mm pistol straight out of his hand! The agent turned around to face her, bewildered by her accuracy as Miles got to his feet.

"Move a muscle, and I'll give you one right between the eyes!" She snapped. "Miles, pat him down in case he has any more surprises in store."

Miles searched the agent, an found quite a trove of items: Stimpacks, another 10mm pistol with a silencer, plenty of 10mm rounds, a laser pistol with some power cells, and a dart pistol with some tranqulizer darts.

"Now, first things first: Who the hell are you?" Clover asked in an intimidating tone.

"Sid Folwer, Enclave. Serial number 85197325. That's all you're getting from me, missy. Want more info, ask your friend." Agent Folwer said with a cocky sneer.

Clover responded by smacking Folwer n the face with her gun. He was knocked out cold.

"Miles, do you know this man? Is there something you haven't told me or Mr. House?" She asked.

Miles now had no choice. "Call for a securitron to pick this guy up. I need to talk to you and boss..."

 _Back at the Lucky 38…_

Mr. House nor Clover were pleased when Miles told them of why he had come to New Vegas in the first place, though their anger was surprisingly well-controlled.

"I can understand that you are scared Miles, but this is information you should not have witheld when I hired you. This complicates many things, and will not be good for business on the strip." Mr. House then turned his holoform to look outside the windows. "Under no exceptions are you or Clover are to tell this to anyone unless you have my say so. If my workforce, or worse, the customers found out about this... there would be a great panic, and revenue would drop sharply."

"Understood, Mr. House." Clover and Miles replied.

"So what do we do about the mole we have now?" Clover asked.

"I've had a few securitrons interrogate him since you brought him back. Eventually after other 'techniques' failed to provide results, we had to use Sodium Thiopental to get the information we needed form Mr. Folwer, which is less than reassuring."

"According to Mr. Fowler, the Enclave has come for Miles. They traveled all this way in an airship, the Scion. They have advanced Mark II power armor, and plasma weapons at their disposal, along with some armed Vertibirds. I'm afraid it may match up with my army of Securitrons. Basically what I'm saying is, we need outside help."

"Wait… Sir, are you saying…?" Miles started.

"Yes, Miles. I'm not going to let them take you." Mr. House responded. "After all, it's become very difficult to come across a Sous Chef such as you. Cooking skills are at a premium in this day and age, after all."

"So what do we need to do?" Clover asked.

"First of all, we need to have as much manpower and firepower as possible." Mr. House said. "Clover, I think it's time you called on that favor Veronica owes you. See if we can negotiate a deal with the Nevada chapter of the Brotherhood, along with any other factions that owe you a favor. I'm also going to send a political envoy to the NCR, to see if we can work out an agreement for some more manpower. I'm going to have to tell the staff what is going on eventually, so I'll have to have some meetings planned out. If all goes well, we should stand a good chance of defending New Vegas from an Enclave attack. Or worse, a takeover."

"In the meantime Miles, I don't want you taking a step outside the Lucky 38. You would make too tempting of a target If we have spies from washington on the strip. I recommend you use the time to work on your firing skills. Use the targeting range in the basement."

"...Got it. Boss." Miles said without argument. He should have known this would be his luck.


	12. Rallying thier Forces

Clover sent holotape messages with Cass and Boone's caravan to the NCR government, explaining the situation with some figurative arm-twisting truths, stating that the reborn east Enclave would not stop until they had everything under their control again, and that included NCR territory. Meanwhile, Vernonica presented Mr. House's request to the Nevada Brotherhood of Steel, to Elder McNamera. They agreed to assist Mr. House, as the Enclave was a clear threat. That, and there was still bad blood between them and the Brotherhood of Steel anyway.

Right now though, Clover was having an argument with Arcade Ganon about getting his former Enclave associates involved at the Old Mormon fort. He was packing up his things, and preparing to leave!

"Arcade, what do mean you can't help?" Clover demanded.

"It means exactly what I said: I can't help you." Arcade said flatly.

"Arcade Ganon, do you have any idea what's at stake here?!" Clover snapped. "This is about the future of the whole region, not just Miles! If the Enclave gets New Vegas, it will mean disaster for the Mojave!"

Arcade looked to Clover with a serious face, taking off his glasses. "Clover, you don't know the Enclave like I do! If I were you, I'd get out of their way and quick! If they want Miles bad enough, they'll take him. If they want New Vegas back bad enough, they will take that too. By any means necessary! You can't stop them, Clover… Nobody can. The only one who's ever been known to beat the Enclave was the Chosen One of Arroyo, and that was a very lucky fluke at best if the Enclave still lives! They probably have agents after me and the other remnants right now! If I helped you, it would mean more than certain death for me… I have to think of my students, my friends in the Followers of the Apocalypse, and the people I know. I'm sorry Clover. My hands are tied..." He looked down at the floor, ashamed. "...I can't help you with this. I'm sorry, this is where I have to draw the line."

Clover looked shocked for a moment. Then, her expression changed to discontent. She looked Ganon in the eye.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Arcade." She said simply. "I just thought a man like you, after everything we went through, would have more courage than this… I am very disappointed in you."

"Life's full of disappointments, Clover. You of all people should know that by now." Arcade responded as he turned back to packing.

Clover turned and walked away, out of the fort.

# # # # # #

Veronica and Cass watched as Clover came back out. Both could tell from the look on Clover's face that things had not went well with Arcade.

"He's not signing on, I assume?" Veronica asked.

"Nope. He just went chicken, he's plannin' to run." Clover said. "I swear, after the second battle for Hoover Dam, I thought he had learned something. How did things go on your end?"

"Well, the Elder is now working with Mr. House's staff and the Followers of the Apocalypse to help devise a strategy for New Vegas's defense. They are working on deploying laser turrets along the walls in Freeside, and managing checkpoints at the gate entrances."

Clover turned to face Cass. "Any word from the NCR?"

Cass straightened out her hat. "They've agreed to help… reluctantly. They're sending out their army to help with New Vegas's Defense, they will be here in a few weeks."

"They will still be stationed at the Airport, right?" Clover asked.

"You got it." Cass said. "They are also giving their troops body armor, and any hard-hitting weapons that they can get. They think we will need all available resources against the Enclave."

"I have a feeling we will need that, and more..." Clover said.


	13. Clover's Past

_Two Weeks Later…_

Miles walked with Clover through Freeside. They were checking on the new laser turrets, missile turrets and Brotherhood patrols to make sure everyone and everything was ready for the quickly approaching Enclave. They had even got support from the Boomer tribe as well, as they were watching out with their artillery for threats! However, Miles was wrestling with his inner demons. He had been wrestling with them ever since he met Agent Folwer that night.

Clover noticed Miles' troubled look after they checked the last laser turret. "Miles? What's wrong?"

Miles looked up to the sky. "…I'm starting to wonder if I could have avoided this whole scenario. Maybe I should have just given myself up all those years ago..."

That earned him a hard slap across the face from Clover. "Don't you dare even start thinkin' that way, Miles!" She snapped. "You're worth more than just your cooking skills, you know! And I ain't just talking about Project: Purity, 'neither!"

Miles was stunned speechless as he held his hand up to his face, which was starting to sting from the force of Clover's slap. He then noticed tears in Clover's eyes.

"Miles… You are the best thing that's happened to me since I got into New Vegas and got my job at the Lucky 38." Clover said. "You are the best thing that's happened in my life, period! Sure, you may have had things rough as you traveled through DC until your dad died, but you kept going, didn't you? You didn't let anything stop you then! And you sure as hell didn't let anything stop you from gettin' here to New Vegas! So are you really going to let a stupid Enclave general on a power trip stop you from settling somewhere and being happy? I sure wouldn't!"

Miles paused, then spoke up. "You must have had a similar experience, then?"

Clover looked Miles in the eye, and motioned for him to walk with her. "I never told anyone outside my circle this Miles, so listen carefully. I… I grew up poor, in a very bad part of Nevada. A place northwest called Sugar Bunker. Trust me, there was no sugar there." Clover laughed a hollow laugh, then tears started to fall from her eyes. "It was a horrible place. Plagued by raiders, slavers, chem addicts, and swindlers. My ma got hooked on buffout, and started to graduate into greater things. Eventually, she overdosed on Med-X one night on my sixteenth birthday. Me and my dad were devastated. After we buried her, we got the hell out of Sugar Bunker, and eventually settled in Coyote Springs. Me and my dad both got jobs at the Mojave Express branch there. It made sense. We were both good runners, and could carry a lot if we needed to. The gamble paid off. We finally were making enough caps to eat, enough to live a stable life... Then he had a heart attack one night. I was alone, for the first time in my life. It was very difficult..." Clover wiped the tears from her eyes. "About five years later, I got the contract for the Platinum Chip for New Vegas. That was on my birthday… That was also the day I got shot, and the day I met _him_..." Her face changed to a scowl.

"Who?" Miles asked.

"Benny." Clover said bitterly. "The bastard didn't even have the decency to make sure I had my clothes when I was buried. I don't even know if I was violated by his little Khan lackeys while I was out. Thankfully, Victor found me, and brought me to Doc Michell. I owe both of them my lives. But that day when I awoke, after being patched up… Something in me snapped. Before I was shot, I was a very timid, very fearful person. I would usually stick to the settlements to make sure I had people 'round me. It made me feel safe. After I was shot by Benny, that part of me just shattered like an old-world glass window. I was angry. I wanted vengeance… I wanted to pay Benny back in spades for what he did to me. Eventually, I tracked him down. Had to chase him all the way to the Leigon's camp across the river."

Miles felt horrible, but also afraid. He had never seen this side of Clover. "What did you do?"

Clover turned to Miles, fire in her eyes, and a wicked smile on her face. "Well… After I did a fake deed for Ceasar, I had my revenge on Benny. See, they caught him. So I got payback. First, I shot out his kneecaps. Then, I shot him in the nuts. By that time, he was begging me for mercy… I asked him, "Why? Didn't you have any mercy on me? You didn't show me any mercy when you tried to murder me and leave me in a shallow grave." Then, he just babbled out apologies, saying it was "Just Business, and nothing personal." At that point, I told him I was fresh out of mercy, and emptied an entire clip from my 9mm SMG into his head. I never looked back."

Miles was shocked! Clover did that?!

"...You must have an indomitable determination when you set your mind on something." He said.

"That I do." Clover responded. "That's partly how I got into the good graces of working with Mr. House. Though I haven't had to do much of anything as extreme on his payroll. But that's not the point I'm tryin' to make. The point I'm tryin' to make is that you shouldn't dwell so much on the past, Miles. What happened has happened. I know it's hard, but you should press on. Embrace the future. If you dwell in the past, you end up stuck in a rut, and it'll get you in trouble, and that's never good. I'm sure your father, James wouldn't want you still mopin' over his passing. Don't you think?"

Miles smiled. Clover made a point that hit home. "You're right."

Suddenly, there was a loud sound in the sky that sounded like fireworks. That caught both Miles and Clover's attention.

"Incoming!" A Brotherhood paladin shouted.

Clover and Miles ran for cover in an alley! They got right behind the wall just as something big impacted the ground where they were standing! After the smoke and dust cleared, they saw what it was.

It was a large holographic projector attached to a rocket.


	14. Colonel Autumn's Ultimatum

Chapter 14

Colonel Autumn's Ultimatum

Clover and Miles carefully approached the rocket with the holographic projector. The projector was offline, but taped to it was a box. Clover carefully examined the box to make sure it did not have any traps or explosives on it. After she was assured it didn't, she untaped the box from the projector, and handed it to Miles.

"Open it." She said.

Miles untaped the top of the box, and lifted the lid. Inside the box was an audio holotape! Miles popped it into his Pip-Boy.

"Lone Wanderer Miles, this is Colonel Augustus Autumn." The voice on the holotape spoke. "Bring this projector to your boss, and we will begin to talk negotiations. The projector will give him a direct communication link to me. We will discuss the terms with him, and him only. We will be waiting."

Clover sighed. "Let's go get some of the Paladins to hall this thing back to the Lucky 38."

 _Lucky 38_

 _Basement_

The Paladins that had brought the holographic projector into the basement began to bring it online with a generator separate from the Lucky 38's reactor. They clearly were not taking any chances with this thing, considering it was from the Enclave. Robert House with his holoform, Elder McNamera, General Oliver, Boomer Elder Pearl, Joshua Graham, Ulysses, along with Miles and Clover watched them as they finished bringing the projector online.

"It's ready, Mr. House." The lead Paladin said.

"Activate it." Mr. House said.

The Paladin used a nearby terminal to activate the projector. A camera popped out of the base of the projector, as it emitted a familiar form to Miles.

It was Colonel Autumn!

"I am Colonel Autumn, of the United States Government, Enclave branch." Autumn announced. "May I ask which one of you is in charge?"

Everyone looked to Mr. House. He nodded.

"That would be me, Colonel." Mr. House said proudly.

"Exactly who are you, sir?" Colonel Autumn asked.

Mr. House smiled in a professional manner. "I am Robert Edwin House. Owner and Proprietor of the New Vegas Strip, and Benefactor of the New Vegas area as a whole. To what do I owe this unexpected surprise?"

Autumn's mouth dropped, but he recovered quickly. "You must be lying! Robert Edwin House can't be alive after all this time! Either you are some sort of computer program, or..."

"I assure you, I am Robert Edwin House. In flesh, and in blood. I am not a manifest of silicon, as you wrongfully assume." Mr. House continued, slightly annoyed at Autumn's disbelief. "Staying alive this long was very… costly, and required much advanced technologies that I won't disclose to you for my own security, and for the security of the New Vegas region."

"Very well." Autumn said. "A test, then. Tell me three companies besides RobCo that you owned before the great war of 2077, and their new worth pre-war."

Mr. House displayed confidence in his face, standing tall. "That would be REPCONN aerospace industries, the HH tool company, and the Lucky 38 Hotel and Casino. In pre-war times, the three mentioned companies' net worth was five-point-seven billion united states dollars. Simple enough answer for you?"

Autumn was shocked. House's information was down to the letter. "So, it is you."

"Then you have no more doubts, then?" Mr. House asked.

"None." Autumn said.

"Then let's get down to business." Mr. House said. "From recent events, as told to me by my aide, you tried to kidnap one of my personnel for my Lucky 38 Hotel on the strip." He motioned for Miles to step forward, which he did.

"Yes. Miles." Autumn said. "He's wanted by the Enclave for questioning regarding certain… events in the DC area."

"You wouldn't be happening to be referring to the whole takeover of Project: Purity, do you?" Mr. House pried. "Before you cut me off, yes. He told me about that already. I find it quite sad that the Enclave had to butt it's nose into business it wasn't involved in to begin with."

Augustus huffed, agitated. "That purifier could mean the life and death of the Capital wasteland! Many people are depending on the clean water from that purifier!"

House glared at Autumn. "Many Enclave people, you mean. Don't play stupid, Colonel. I can tell exactly what's going on in that brain of yours. You are planning to use the Purifier to control the Capital wasteland and it's people. I know how the Enclave worked pre-war. It's not hard to imagine what it's like now. In other words, you are not trustworthy, Colonel. Giving you Miles would be more than just losing a good sous chef. It would be an outright dangerous gamble. One that I am not going to make. Not with you, or the current Enclave president."

Colonel Autumn's face displayed an unbridled rage. "This is not a request, Mr. House! I have a full ship of troops on standby, along with Vertibird Fighters and several platoon of power armored troopers, all armed to the teeth and trained to kill! I've even requested help from a local tribe, Ceasar's Legion,and they will no doubt show no mercy! I will level your precious New Vegas and rebuild it in the proper fashion of the Enclave's name, if you do not hand the fugitive over."

Mr. House gave a cocky grin. "I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that. New Vegas has many allies, Including your rivals, the Brotherhood of Steel. If I recall correctly, they also have platoons of power armored troopers. Along with that, the New California Republic has a stake in this as well. You see, Vegas is one of their best strongholds and vacation spots, and when you threaten Vegas, you threaten the NCR as well. If you had any iota of sense, you would know it's not wise to rile them, as they have munitions of their own, including armed Vertibirds. Speaking of which, we also have some heavy artillery, and anti-air weapons thanks to a local tribe known as the Boomers that can easily punch down a Vertibird, which I may add, they are very eager to use. In short, you do not own New Vegas, nor will you ever own New Vegas, just as you don't own Miles. You want to make an attempt to take either? Then let's see you try."

Mr. House motined for the Brotherhood engineer to cut the feed. He did so, and the hologram of Colonel Autumn fizzled out.


	15. The Third Battle for Hoover Dam

"Great. Now what?" Joshua asked.

"Simple." Ulysses replied. "We prepare for war. They will most likely target Hoover Dam first. If they take over the dam, they have the advantage. They could cut power and the water supply to Vegas."

"We had better reinforce that area." Clover said. "We can't afford to lose it."

"Indeed." House agreed. "I'll mobilize several battalions of Securitrons to reinforce the area. Combined with the artillery from the Boomers, the Brotherhood and the NCR's soldiers, we should stand a ninety-five percent change of holding the dam by my calculations."

"What about the other five percent?" Miles asked nervously.

House looked at Miles. "The Other five percent is that they either take over the dam or destroy it. I only pray that doesn't happen."

"We wont' let it happen, House." General Oliver said. "They'll take the dam over our dead bodies!"

"Also as you said, we have the advantage." Elder McNameara said. "We know this region, they don't. Let's get everyone mobilized."

"Roger that." Pearl said. "We'll have our anti-air guns ready."

"I'd better get over there, too." Clover said. "It wouldn't be right for me to sit on the sidelines."

"I'm going too." Miles said. "This is my fight as well. I'm done running from the Enclave."

Mr. House gave Miles a thumbs-up. "I'm proud of both of you, and I pray this alliance lasts well into the future. For all of mankind."

# # # # #

 _Hoover Dam_

Miles waited in one of the sniper's nests, with a sniper rifle in his arms. He still had his assault rifle over his shoulder. However, he had upgraded it heavily with a scope and drum barrel magazine, and a 10MM sub machine gun and a knife in case the fight got up-close and personal. He was well-fortified.

Clover was sitting right next to him, with an upgraded Infiltrator rifle: Extended Magazine, with a high-velocity suppressor, and upgraded scope. She also had her trusty hunting revolver at her side, along with a knife and the pulse gun she and Veronica found in Vault 34, just in case they ran into power armor troops.

The dam was swarming with NCR soldiers and securitrons. The Brotherhood had helped fortify the dam as well with laser turrets, and their own squad of Power Armored warriors. The Boomes had dug into a nearby hillside with artillery and were locked and loaded.

"Careful. The first wave is on it's way. I have them on radar." Mr. House warned through one of the securitrons. "Be ready."

Miles looked through the scope of his sniper rifle, and saw the Scion fast approaching! Accompanied by several Vertibirds! On the ground, the remnants of Ceasar's Legion were fast approaching. The Enclave was going all-out this time!

"Pick your targets!" General Oliver ordered his men. "Fire at will once you have 'em in your sights!"

The NCR rangers and soldiers got their guns ready, taking aim! The Scion then stopped, whiel the Vertibrids swarmed foreward with the Legion.

"Looks like they know of the Boomer's artillery!" Miles radioed the boomers. "Shoot down those Vertibirds!"

The Boomers then unleashed hell, raining down artillery on the Vertibirds! Only a few of the Vertibrids got through! And they were carrying Enclave troops in Hellfire armor and Tesla armor!

"Get ready to Engage!" McNamera warned. The Vertibirds then dropped several squads of power armored soldiers onto the dam! The Third Battle for Hoover Dam had begun!

The Encalve soldiers opened fire once they landed, with the NCR and Brotherood responding in kind! Miles and Clover manged to snipe a few from their position. Then, Clover turned her head back towards the Scion! They were making a break for the dam!

"Boomers! Quick!" She shouted through her radio! "Fire on that airship!"

The Boomers responded with ground-to-air missiles, locked straight onto the Scion! But then, the Scion revealed it's role: It opened fire on the missiles with Anti-missile batteries, accompanied by targeting jammers!

"They're jamming our locks! We'll have to aim manually!" Pear said as she instructed her anti-air battalion to switch to manual targeting! The Scion slowly pressed on, still shooting down the incoming missiles! It sent out another squadron of Vertibirds, landing more troops on the dam!

"Come on, you sons of bitches, come on!" Miles taunted, firing off his sniper rifle at the invading troopers, taking most of them out with deadly accuracy! Clover turned her attention towards the Scion! IT was then she saw what they were going for! They were heading right towards their sniper tower!

"Miles! Move!" Clover shouted. They immediately went down the staircase in a mad dash to the exit! They exited the tower just as an Enclave Vertibird hovered over it, shooting at their sniper enclosure!

Miles threw aside the sniper rifle, and got out the assault rifle! Clover reloaded her infiltrator rifle, and they threw open the door, running for cover in the chaos of the battle! Brotherhood and NCR were Engaging the Enclave troopers, being met with stiff offense! The Legion wasn't making it any easier, as they were getting closer to infiltrating the dam! Miles shot a stream of bullets from his assault rifle, as he and clover took cover behind a barricade! IT was then that Miles and Clover saw another Vertibird land on the dam!

Stepping off the Vertibird was Autumn himself! In a suit of customized Enclave power armor, armed with a Gauss Minigun!

Clover got out a stick of Dynamite, lit the fuse, and threw it at Autumn! The Detonation caused dust to fly in every direction! But the blast did little to damage the armor!

That's when Ulysses and Joshua showed up! Ulysses had a Divide Rocket launcher over his shoulder, and Joshua was carrying a backpack of Plasma Grenades! Ulysses fired a few rockets at Autumn, while Joshua flung a string of grenades tied together at Autmn!

But again, it did little to stop Autumn in his upgraded power armor! He opened fire on Ulysses and Joshua, whom quickly took cover!

Ulysses loaded in a few more rockets, and returned the favor, while Joshua Flung more grenades at Autumn's direction!

It was then that they noticed Autumn wasn't alone! Stepping off the Vertibird was none other than Legate Lainus himself! Armed with a Missile launcher! He fired, barely missing Clover and Miles!

Ulysses and Joshua then focused their fire on Lainus, seeing he was a factor that needed removed from the equation immediately! The Tide so far was not turning out in their favor!

Autum continued to close in on Clover and Miles! Clover got out her Pusle gun, and fired at Autum, disabling his power armor! Miles and Clover then ran for better cover!

The remaining Enclave troopers then went after them, pursuing them into the dam! It was then that a single rogue Vertibird came out of nowhere, dropping a squad of troopers in outdated Enclave armor onto the dam! Only the Encalve "E" on the power armor was crossed out! It was Arcade and his remnants!

"Clover!" Arcade yelled, firing a Gatling Laser at Autum in concert with his team. "Run for it! Get to cover!"

Clover could hardly believe it! Arcade had pulled through for them after all! She and Miles ran for one of the doors of the dam, when Clover got shot in the leg! Miles quickly pulled her into cover, administering first aid with a tourniquet to make sure Clover didn't lose too much blood!

Miles was now pissed off. Autumn had hurt his girl. Now, it was personal! He got out of cover, charging at Autmn with vigor firing his assault rifle with vigor! Ulysses, Clover, and Joshua joined from cover with their weapons, barraging Autmn and his squad!

It was then that one of Autmn's men his Miles with a tazer cable! Miles's body convulsed with 1,000 volts of electricity! He fell to his knees, temporarily stunned!

"Miles!" Clover screamed.

"You shouldn't worry about him, Missy." Autumn said, getting out of his disable power armor and drawing a 10MM pistol off of his belt. "Right now, I'd be more concerned with your own well-being." He aimed at Clover's head.

Miles, still seeing what was going on, called on all his willpower to overcome the taser as it ran out of juice! He jumped in the way of Autumn's aim, right as he fired! The shot hit him srraight in the chest!

"NO!" Autumn yelled, seeing what just happened. Ulysses then loaded an explosive rocket into his launcher, getting out his 12.7 sub machine gun!

"Joshua! Get miles! I'll cover you!" He yelled, spraying the gun at Autumn and his men. Joshua surged forward, and grabbed Miles, dragging him back towards Clover!

Clover immediately started to apply pressure on Miles' wound. Luckly, the shot was on the opposite side of the chest than the heart, but it was still a leathal wound! "Don't you dare stop breathin' Miles!" Clover said, tears in her eyes.

The dam was on the verge of being overwhelmed. Then, a miracle happened.

From behind the Scion, shot erupted from cannons and a bunch of machine gun fire from Vertibirds bearing the Brotherhood of Steel's insignia! The Scion went ablaze as it was shot down, crashing over the majority of Cesar's Legion! The, a new airship appeared! It's name: Prydwen!

The Prydwen and it's Vertibirds plowed it's way into the battle zone! Soon, the Capital wasteland's Brotherhood of Steel began to drop their own troops on the dam, assisting the NCR and their allies! It was Lyons' Pride!

They began to mop the floor with the remaining Enclave troopers as the tide turned against the Enclave! Star Paladin Cross and Sarah Lyons led the assist! Soon, they had Autumn totally surrounded! He was helpless, like the rest of the Enclave! He put his hands up and dropped his gun, defeated.

Star Paladin Cross walked up to Autumn. "Colonel Agustus Autumn, with the power invested in me and the Brotherhood, I hearby detain you for crimes against humanity. May god have mercy on your soul for what you have done."


	16. Recovery

Later, at the Mojave BOS Base…

Miles was rushed by Brotherhood Paladins and Scribe Linda Schuler into the base's infirmary, followed closely by the best doctors from the Followers, including Julie Farkas herself. Clover was following close behind as well, with Joshua, Ulysses and Doctor Li.

"Transfer over to the operating table… Lift on three! One! Two! Three!" The Brotherhood medics and Follower doctors lifted Miles onto the operating table.

"What's going to happen to him? Will he be alright?" Clover tried to get into the room, but was blocked by Brotherhood knights.

"We don't know. I'm afraid all you can do is wait outside." Knight Dillon said.

"Not me!" Doctor Li insisted. "I'm going in to help! And before you say otherwise, just remember: I am a doctor! I helped deliver that man when he was an infant!"

Knight Dillon sighed, exasperated. "Very well. But just you, Doctor Li. Unless this Courier girl has some sort of medical degree we don't know about."

Clover backed down reluctantly. She knew more about medicine than the average person, but didn't trust herself with this kind of situation. She sulked back into one of the nearby chairs, and started to cry.

Arcade took off his Tesla Helmet. "Clover…"

"I just don't know what to do, Miles! I just don't know what to do!" Clover cried into her hands, sobs shaking her shoulders.

Arcade put a hand on Clover's shoulder, tears forming in his eyes. "I wish I could say It's going to be okay… I really wish I could… But I don't know what to do either..."

And Right now, he really wish he did.

# # # # #

Amata waited outside the surgery room room, a loose scribe robe over her Vault suit. She looked through the surgery room window as the Brotherhood and Followers doctors worked feverishly to save the life of her long-lost friend. Things were so down to the wire, you could cut the tension in this room with a knife.

Butch walked up in his Tunnel Snake jacket. "We finally found him..." Butch sat down in one of the waiting room's ruined couches. "We finally found him, after nine years..."

"He was fighting to save the dam..." Amata mused. "I never thought after what happened, he would fight to protect anything again..."

Butch sighed. "Amata, don't be so sure. If he really was a protector, he would have stayed and fought the damn Enclave while they were in DC."

Amata turned to Butch. "How can you say that?! Did you not see what was going on out there? The Enclave and that… Legion would have demolished the dam if they had been given the chance! At least Miles fought to protect it! He's dying on a hospital operating table because of it!"

"Don't be so naive, Amata! I've told you that!" Butch countered venomously. "He ditched us! Plain and simple! He's not going to just run back and save Project: Purity like he was supposed to in the beginning, he's nothing but a…"

"Stop!" Clover snapped from across the room. "Stop it! You have no idea what he's went though since he got here!"

Butch looked at Clover, giving her his full attention.

"He nearly got killed at the Divide, he was almost kidnapped by the Enclave… All he wants is a chance to live his own life! You've never had to deal with the pressure that's on his shoulders! Having to walk away from a land he couldn't save, even though he tried his best to, then having it come back to bite him… You have no right to speak of him in such a way!"

Butch scoffed. "Well, yeah. He did _nearly_ save the Capital Wasteland, but he bitched out at the last minute! All because dear ol' dad had to bite the big one six feet under..."

"Butch, that's enough!" Amata snapped. "How would you feel if he didn't save your mom from the Radroaches back in the Vault?! Maybe you would have had the nagging inkling to run off, then?! Despite having your little gang?!"

Butch turned to Amata, opening his mouth to say something. But nothing came out. Butch then leaned on a nearby table. He hung his head in shame, realizing Amata was completely justified.

"Shit, I'm sorry..." Butch said. "I just felt so helpless after the Enclave took over everything back home… It wasn't right. He could have turned it around..."

"He will, Butch. He will." Amata reassured.

They then saw several more knights rushing towards the entrance of the base, led by Veronica.

"What's going on?" Amata asked.

"We've got company." Verconia said. "We have several super mutants heading this way towards the base! Elder MacNamera wants us to see what they want."

 _# # # # #_

Fawkes, Lily, Keene, and Marcus walked up to the Hidden Valley bunker. The massive airship Prydwen hovered overhead, it's crew in a frenzied work mood.

Several knights, including the one named Veronica exited the bunker.

"Halt!" The lead knight commanded. "What is your business here?"

"We need to see the wanderer." Marcus said. "My friend here, Fawkes says he has something he needs. It's urgent."

"I'm sorry, but we cannot permit you to see him at this time." The lead knight explained. "He's undergoing intensive care for a bullet wound. He has been shot."

"I'm afraid it's an urgent matter." Fawkes explained, showing a white briefcase in his pack. "Not just for the Mojave, but for the Capital Wasteland as well."

The knight looked closer at the case, then realized what it was. "Quick! Get in! Get in!"

# # # # #

"5 miligrams Med-X, Doctor Li!" Scribe Schuler commanded. Doctor Li loaded a needle and syringe with the Med-X and handed it to Schuler.

"His heartbeat is rapid! We need a cryo unit in here!" Doctor Li shouted to the other doctors and scribes. That's when she and Schuler noticed Miles' chest convulsing.

"Turn him on his side, now!" Doctor Li shouted. The other scribes and doctors helped turn Miles on his side, and he vomited, spilling bile onto the floor.

After Miles had finished vomiting, the doctors put him back on his back. "Li! The Med X, or we wont' be able to get this surgery done in time!" Schuler snapped, ripping open his vault suit to give Miles some room to breathe.

"This may hurt, Miles." Doctor Li injected the Med-X into Miles' into the area of his forearm where the arm met the elbow. Miles, considering the pain he was already under from the bullet wound, yelped.

"Get the clotting agent, Doctor Henry!" Li shouted. "We're getting ready to remove the bullet!"

Schuler then got a precision laser and tweezers to pull the bullet out as Miles passed out from the Med-X.

"Alright, this going to be very delicate. We can't afford any mistakes. First, we remove the bullet, then we need to stitch and seal the lung! Ready?"

All the doctors nodded.

Schuler fired up the precision laser, and started to carefully open up Miles' chest, cutting through the rib cage swiftly. This was going to be something for the record books for sure!


	17. Finale: We'll always have Vegas

Everyone waited with tension and worry in the waiting room. It had been about seven hours since Miles went into surgery. Everyone was on the edges of their seats when the doctors came out.

"Good news." Doctor Li said. "He's going to make a full recovery. We removed the bullet and patched his lung back up."

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Especially Clover.

# # # # #

 _Several Weeks Later..._

Miles awoke slowly as he fought his way back up to the land of the living. He had a bad headache, a swimming head full of thoughts that were driving him insane… and his mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

"Want some more cotton candy? It might sober you up." A familiar voice said through his blurry, let clearing vision.

"Butch!" Another familiar voice said, as Miles saw one figure in his vision elbow another one in the ribs.

Miles closed his eyes. "If I'm having a medication-induced hallucination, why couldn't it be something like on Captain Cosmos?" He said in a really woozy voice.

He was so out of it he didn't even see the hand flying at his face.

# # # # # #

"May I?" Doctor Li asked.

"Go for it." Scribe Schuler said.

"Just try not to leave a mark." Clover cautioned.

"No guarantees." Doctor Li then wound up her hand, and gave Miles a good, long-winded smack across the face. Her hand left a rather red imprint on his skin.

"Ow! Fuck! What the hell was that for?!" Miles exclaimed, now at full alertness.

Clover gave Doctor Li a look. "Really, Madison?"

"I told you no guarantees." Doctor Li repeated. She then turned to Miles. "Now, to begin: Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?" Doctor Li scolded. "Nine years! Nine years you've been missing, young man! Nine years the Capital Wasteland has been waiting for clean water that you hold the key to!"

Miles rubbed the side of his cheek. "You mean you didn't figure out the code?"

"It's more complicated than that." Amata explained. "The keypad has a DNA reader, which locks anyone that doesn't have a match. According to the computers at Project Purity, and Doctor Li herself, they have your DNA in the database. Therefore, only you can unlock it."

Miles looked surprised. "Dad went so far as to put a DNA lock on the thing? Wow..." Miles sighed.

"Also, one of the recent arrivals brought what we needed to fix the purifier." Another voice said from outside the door. Walking into the room was Sarah Lyons, and in her hands, the Vault 87 GECK!

"So now we need to figure out how we are going to get back to DC." Amata said. "A lot has changed in the Brotherhood since you were gone. For example, since they freed Vault 101 from my father's tyranny, all of the vault has enlisted into the Brotherhood. Including Butch and his Tunnel Snake gang. That and Vault 101 is now a BOS Base."

"So now I need to go back and reactivate the Purifier?" Miles finished.

"Pretty much." Lyons said. "The Enclave has lost a fair amount of footing since we left. We've kept in touch via long-range radio transmissions with the _Prydwen_. The Doctor says you'll be free to go in the next couple of days."

# # # # # # #

A few days had passed. Miles was saying his farewells to all his friends, for now. He was planning to come back after he had activated the purifier. But right now, he was having a difficult time saying goodbye to Clover. He was struggling to come up with the right words to say.

"Miles, I'm sure you are doing the right thing." Clover said, trying not to tear up. "You helped us at the Lucky 38, taught our chefs some new things. You even helped to make an alliance between Vegas, the NCR, the Brotherhood, and so many other factions… I just wish you didn't have to go so soon..."

Miles couldn't stand it anymore. He took Clover into his arms, and they kissed. When their lips had parted, Miles then made Clover a promise he was going to keep by any means necessary.

"I will be back, Clover. I swear on the Brotherhood's Codex I will, as god as my witness. But until then, we will always have Vegas." Miles said, wiping away her tears.

Clover felt she would have to be satisfied with that. With that, she let him go as he boarded the Vertibrid. The door closed, and the Vertibird flew up to the Prydwen. Shortly afterwards, the Prydwen headed east, the setting sun against it's back.

"Don't worry. He'll be back. I know it." House said, standing next to Clover in his Holoform.

"You really think so?" Clover said, hope sparkling in her eyes.

"Trust me, he will." House said. "You don't meet a guy like that every century. Keep your chin up, Clover. Anything is possible. Until then, we have a new set of alliances to manage. Shall we?" House motioned over to Vegas, as the Securiton's projector stopped.

Clover then walked back towards Vegas, alongside the Securitron, with Joshua and Ulysses. Until the purifier was reactivated, she would wait here. For her love.

# # # # # # #

 _Two Years Later…_

Clover walked along the Strip, content with today's work. The moon was full, and the Vegas strip was lit up in a great display. Things were peaceful, as the rest of her group arrived at the Lucky 38.

"How's it going, Clover?" Arcade asked.

"Good." Clover said. "It's been two years since he left. But I'm sure he will be back..."

It was then that they heard the sound of Vertibird propellers ovehead. Then, Victor and Jane came out of the 38 swiftly.

"Clover! We've got a message from the Capital Brotherhood! They've sent an envoy here!" Jane exclaimed.

Then, they all saw it! Several Vertibirds flew overhead, bearing the insignia of the Brotherhood! They all landed in front of the Lucky 38!

Stepping out of the Vertibird, was Miles in T-45d Power Armor, with no helmet! "Clover!" He exclaimed!

Clover ran forward into Miles, arms! She was ecstatic! "Miles! Oh, lordy what kept you?!" They both embraced, each relieved that the other was okay.

"It's good to see you again, too Clover! The Purifier is activated, and the Capital now has fresh water for everyone! We will have to hold off on the Celebrations, though."

"Why?" Boone asked. It was then that Sarah stepped out of the helicopter.

"I hate to say it, but we have trouble." Sarah said. "Autumn escaped, and we've tracked him to Boston. He's aligned himself and the old Enclave with an entity known as the Institute. Anyone up for a good old fashioned manhunt?"

That got everyone's attention in a snap. Then, another Securitron rolled up, and projected Mr. House's holoform.

"I think after everything that has happened, this will be a walk in the park." House said. "I'll get General Oliver and MacNamera on the radio at once."

With that, both parties prepared themselves for combat once more. Because War….

War Never Changes.


End file.
